DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – About a month from now, a group of NE Wisconsin Vietnam war veterans will be making a return trip to southeast Asia.
This weekend they gathered in De Pere one final time before going back to a land they couldn’t wait to get away from.
Old Glory Honor Flight is flying out of the country for the first time, leaving soon for a two week trip to Vietnam.
They only had room for a little over 50 and Hortonville’s Arnie Weyers, a Marine veteran, will be on board. He expects it’ll be emotional.
“Somewhat, yeah….because I left some good friends.”
He expects it will be emotional. But he’s also excited to be traveling with people who’ve had a similar experience.
“See your old spots where we were at….and just reminisce a little”
Army veteran Jimmy Umentum is on board. He expects a drastic change from his Denmark home.
“You know you’re not gonna see no Costcos. You’re going to see Asian people and this is their land.”
As far as keeping his emotions in check…
“There’s going to be a day where you’re going to break down in tears. There’s a lot of things going on and it’s just going to happen.”
Randy Barth is a Green Bay Marine. He wants to see how things have changed from his time in Vietnam. He’s not sure how he’ll handle it……
“I think I’ll be able to handle it pretty good. I don’t know….I’ll have to find out.”
Bob Stillman is an Army veteran. The Green Bay resident was a machine gunner back in the day. As for going back….there’s animosity in his heart.
“I’d like to see the area’s that I was in. It was a beautiful country when I was there. I thought the people, given the circumstances, were pretty nice.”
The group will leave from Menasha February 24th, fly out of Chicago, and return home March 9th.
Old Glory Honor Flight runs on a donation basis. Expenses for the veterans on this trip, and the OGHF day trips for military veterans, to Washington D-C, are made possible by the donations from groups, businesses, and individuals.
To find out how you can donate, or just learn more about the Old Glory Honor Flight organization, click here.
